District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry was sentenced to 12 months of deferred adjudication on Friday for driving while intoxicated and failing to stop and give information after a Nov. 6 collision in North San Antonio.
Perry appeared at the Bexar County Courthouse on Friday morning and pleaded no contest to both counts.
“I take full responsibility. I have done everything I can to make this right,” Perry said after his sentencing Friday morning. “I’m following the process, I’ve taken a lot of advice and done a lot of things for this huge mistake. I thank God nobody was hurt, and I’m very thankful about that.”
Bexar County Judge Erica Dominguez sentenced Perry to one year of deferred adjudication instead of a conviction for each offense, meaning no charges will be placed on his record if he successfully completes this special type of probation.
Perry is required to complete 24 hours of community service, must undergo random, monthly alcohol blood tests and will have an interlock ignition device installed in his car for six months.
His driver’s license will be suspended until he completes a DWI education course. Perry will also be required to pay $905 in fines and costs, according to the deferred adjudication document obtained by the San Antonio Report.
District Attorney Joe Gonzales, who sought a sentence that included a conviction, said Perry’s position on the City Council did not entitle him to special consideration.
“The District Attorney’s Office evaluates each case on its own facts and circumstances,” Gonzales said. “Based on the fact that Mr. Perry caused an accident as a result of the DWI and then fled the scene, we believe that a plea offer of deferred adjudication probation was not appropriate. Instead, we sought a sentence of one year probation with a conviction.”
“However, as always, we respect the judgment of the court,” Gonzales said.
In February, Perry announced he wouldn’t seek re-election for the District 10 seat. After taking a leave of absence in November shortly after the collision, he resumed his City Council duties in January.
On Nov. 6, a San Antonio police officer found the three-term councilman lying in his backyard and smelling of alcohol while his Jeep was still running in the driveway. He later turned himself in and was charged with failure to stop and give information.
Perry was arrested on a DWI charge on Dec. 28.
After an investigation, SAPD on Dec. 28 filed a probable cause affidavit that stated surveillance footage from the Evil Olive showed Perry consuming 14 drinks over a four-hour period before leaving the bar. Other footage showed him getting into his vehicle and driving away.
